Brighton Queers for Palestine’s Guide to Authentic Intersectionality
Words: Nisreen Fox
Make it stand out
Whilst as marginalised groups, we are all interconnected in our systemic oppression, we also need to recognise the privilege we have by being born or raised in countries - such as the UK - which are not torn apart by colonialism and decades of occupation affecting one's life. Brighton Queers for Palestine (BTNQ4P) has been at the epicentre of community organising across the city - a movement sparked from the ongoing genocide, repetitive displacement and abuse of Palestinians since October 2023.
Brighton Queers for Palestine advocates for a free Palestine, an immediate ceasefire and the ending of the continuous occupation. One Brighton Queers for Palestine member whose passion shines through their voice tells me that they “have to care. And as a queer person, as a Black person, I will continue to join everyone’s movements until we’re all free.”
BTNQ4P actively fundraises through events, stalls and donations for e-sims, evacuation costs, and their Palestinian diaspora wellbeing project. Their fundraising events should be regarded as achievable by any group of persons who wish to make a change - as through group comradery, understanding, and community solidarity it is possible to be an authentic intersectional campaigner. Below are two examples of how their work can be emulated by any organiser seeking to make tangible change.
BTNQ4P and Brighton’s Ballroom Community Shows Us How Ballroom Culture can End Imperialism
On August 4th in central Brighton an alternative Pride event for the QTIPOC community, Decolonise Pride: Kiki Function, was filled with music, cheering and slaying - an event that was created to donate the majority of the funds to BTNQ4P’s fundraising pots and the Sudan Solidarity Collective; an event calling for the end of imperialism.
The key organiser for Brighton Ballroom’s Community shared with me, “By its very nature it’s all about resistance, it’s always been about resistance against white supremacy - whether that's in mainstream communities, or within the Queer scene itself. At the base of it is a safe space for Black and brown people, our struggles for liberation and freedom are interconnected not only locally but internationally.”
This became especially true to me when I saw an entire Ballroom category with iconic walkers dressed in the Palestinian and Sudan flag colours. When I recognised the allies who volunteered their time to raise hundreds of pounds in life saving funds. As well as the businesses themselves, that offer their venue space free of charge.
To challenge that the LGBTQ+ community should not support Palestine due to laws criminalising homosexuality placed by colonisers is an ignorant view and one that does not represent the QTIPOC or Queer SWANA - Southwest Asian and North African - identity. This is not the case. Queer people exist in Palestine, queer people exist in Sudan, we exist everywhere and we are connected through our different cultures, experiences and oppressions. A Ballroom event shows that QTIPOC people(s) culture, sexuality, campaigns and passions is the true driving force for grassroots fundraisers - giving us queer Palestinians hope in our societies.
“I am a strong believer that we are all siblings in a wider community and if any of our siblings are being harmed or oppressed we have a duty to fight back against that.” sums up the winner of the Best Dressed Spectator Ballroom category.
Engaging in Conversations on Black Queerness Helps Us to Understand the Importance of Intersectional Liberation
A couple days after Brighton Ballroom’s successful event, I was affirmed about the care, love and collective support that is imbedded into our community at BTNQ4P’s ‘I Kissed a Girl: On Black Queerness’ panel, featuring IKAG contests Demi Kode, Naee, Lailah Muscat and Thea Hallow (who blessed us with a beautiful performance) and hosted by author and climate justice activist Mikaela Loach. I got to sit front row to a much needed conversation on the experience of Black queerness and navigating it on national television.
Despite expressing the difficulties of a reality dating show and the stress that came with the realisation that production teams felt pressured to include more diversity in their projects without accommodating those different needs, the sentiment that came across was that their representation mattered. And it does. “You could be going on a show and represent a big group of people that haven’t been before, so for me it was a why not more than a why.” Lailah shared, when asked if she had experienced any doubts beforehand. This showed - the packed out venue was filled with QTIPOC people(s) who were moved by their personal stories. We laughed, cried and cheered all night.
Representation in the media is a game changer for marginalised groups, as it shows us that we are valued enough to be seen whilst curating a more accurate representation of diverse society - it is important to be truly understood. “As a Black lesbian this event meant so much to me, because in a predominately white city where the LGBTQ+ community isn’t made for me, it is so heartwarming to be able to experience community during these times.” I spoke with an audience member who was enlightened on the crossovers between Black liberation, queer liberation and Palestinian liberation. “Freedom is an interconnected constant struggle that requires us all to work together towards collective liberation. That’s why we need to continue fundraisers such as these for months to come.”
Representation in the media is a game changer for marginalised groups, as it shows us that we are valued enough to be seen whilst curating a more accurate representation of diverse society
The event raised an amazing £900 from ticket sales and a stall with a raffle and the I Kissed A Girl cast reiterated how important it is to be intersectional in our thinking. Demi shared, “Our history is Palestinian history, we are all fighting the same oppression and fitting the same systems, if they are oppressed we are oppressed. I fear that we are at a point where people are ‘fatigued’ with Palestine, and it’s starting not to be as “trendy” for people. Black queer people know these atrocities are not a trend and we will be pushing to continue the movement.”
BTNQ4P strive to make their events represent the marginalised voices that get overlooked in society, for example by hosting a conversation on Black Queerness specifically as oppose to doing a general ‘I Kissed a Girl’ panel talk inviting all members - they are thoughtful about how campaigns for freedom intertwine. Talking about Black Queerness, we are able to see the connections of our oppression intersect which highlights why intersectional liberation is so important - we must work together to make everlasting positive change in this world, and strive for the liberation of all marginalised groups. Without intersectionality in our activism, we begin to segregate ourselves into groups striving for the same cause and perhaps we will feel small in comparison to who we perceive as “larger political forces”. But together we can build a movement that is larger and stronger than the oppressive forces in our world. I am writing this with hope after seeing the thousands of counter protests to a few fascists on our streets first hand.
Mikaela Loach summarised the notion of authentic intersectionality perfectly during the panel, “We can feel powerless in the face of these times, but once we realise how interconnected it all is by pulling the thread and unravelling the cloth too, we can look at history and see that change hasn’t only come from being these exceptional individuals in power but from the millions of people coming together in our community.”
